Brendan Fraser Apologizes For Traffic Causing Stunt In 'George Of The Jungle' 25 Years Ago

Movie star Brendan Fraser just apologized for the San Francisco traffic jam which took place 25 years ago while filming "George of the Jungle." The actor played the main character in the hit comedy based on the older "Tarzan" in 1997.

The film was a massive success at the time and reached a whopping $180 million gross at the box office. He went on to reprise his role in the sequel in 2003. The actor's recent movie credits include "The Whale," where he plays an overweight reclusive gay man.

Fraser recently looked back at his time filming "George of the Jungle" and apologized for a scene that caused most of the San Francisco population to come to a standstill. The actor joked that the incident was his fault and promised it wouldn't repeat itself.

Read on to learn more.

Fraser was at the California Mill Valley Film Festival on Thursday and apologized for an event that occurred two decades and a half ago. The widely loved actor recalled a moment while filming "George of the Jungle," which occurred on the Oakland Bay Bridge in San Francisco and caused a massive standstill across the 8.4 miles.

While talking to SFGate at the Film Festival, Fraser explained that Disney had put up a dummy in a parachute for a scene where his character rescued a parachutist. Onlookers, however, unknowingly thought it was a real person, leading to the chaotic traffic jam that occurred.

"Disney put a mannequin hanging by a parachute from the uprights. It brought traffic to a standstill on either side of the bridge," the actor recalled. "My trailer was on the other side in a parking lot. I just remember watching the… Bridge."

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Fraser revealed that the issue at the time was so serious "Oprah" was interrupted to bring it to the public's attention. "There's this dummy parachutist hanging from it. I had the TV on, and 'Oprah' got interrupted because there was a special news report with helicopters saying a parachute is dangling on the bridge," he continued.

"And I'm going — "wait a minute!' I'm looking at the helicopters and TV — somebody didn't pull a permit, somebody's going to get in trouble with the mayor's office." The actor went on to apologize for the incident.

"George of the Jungle" saw the actor play the lead character who, like "Tarzan," was raised in an African jungle by apes. In the film, George moves out of the Ugandan jungle after meeting and falling in love with Leslie Mann's character, an English heiress in the movie.

Fraser was called up to the stage after the Mill Valley Film Festival displayed a highlight reel of the actor's career in the film industry. He was presented with a lifetime award for his contributions. After giving his "thank you" speech, he began a retelling of the decades-old incident while the audience roared with laughter.

At the end of the speech, the actor also hilariously promised that it wouldn't repeat itself. "So, that said," Fraser concluded. "My bad, it won't happen again."

In recent months, Fraser has enjoyed a lot of attention due to his participation in the lauded "The Whale," which somewhat revived his career. The actor is reportedly an Oscar front-runner due to his performance in the Darren Aronofsky-directed film.

"The Whale" reportedly received standing ovations after premiering in the festivals held in Venice, Toronto, and London. In the film, Fraser plays Charlie, an obese reclusive teacher who conducts his English courses with the webcam of his computer disabled.

The character is merely days away from dying due to a heart condition and attempts to talk to Ellie, his estranged daughter, played by Sadie Sink. The entire film was shot in the teacher's tiny apartment and, at its conclusion, received a standing ovation from the Venice Film Festival crowd.

Fraser joined a Q&A session after the film where he talked about what he had to go through to play the character which weighed at least 600 pounds. The actor revealed that on the physical side, he had to use four hours each day to get into the enormous bodysuit.

Emotionally, Fraser worked with around ten people who were previously obese in different stages, as well as a psychiatrist for eating disorders and the Obesity Action Coalition.